I’ll admit that when I first heard about ‘fat quarters,’ I was a bit confused. But, then someone explained what a ‘fat quarter’ of fabric is, and it all made perfect sense.
So, here goes -
Usually when we buy a quarter yard of fabric, it is cut from selvedge to selvedge. This means that we get a long, narrow piece that is 9 inches wide by somewhere between 40 and 44 inches long, depending on the measurement of the fabric from selvedge to selvedge.
That’s great if you are making a border or sashing. But if you want to cut a bunch of squares or triangles from the fabric, you might not have enough simply because the fabric is the wrong shape.
So, some creative quilter – or possibly quilt shop owner – decided that you could still get a 1/4 yard of fabric that was more usable if you cut it a different way.
And a fat quarter was born.
This quilter cut a piece of fabric that was 1/2 yard wide, giving her a piece that was 18 inches by 40-44 inches. Then she cut it in half on the straight grain of the fabric (through the center fold as you match the selvedge edges of the fabric).
This resulted in a piece of fabric measuring 18 inches by 20-22 inches, and meant that quilters could cut fairly large squares and triangles from the piece.
Many quilt shops sell individual fat quarters, so you can choose a wide variety of fabric in small quantities – perfect for a scrap quilt.
Quilt shops also sell packets of fat quarters. Some packets are color coordinated, or combined as a line of fabric. Others are made up of scrap-looking fabric, although the fabric is all new.
For more details about fat quarters, pictures of fabric and hints for pre-washing your fat quarters, visit:
http://www.how-to-quilt.com/articles/1019-fat-quarters.php
Happy Quilting!
Penny
